Taking cues from noise rock, screamo and post-hardcore, Hanako was formed by Bibi Żbikowska (Evvolves, Deadly Firend) and Mateusz Romanowski (Brooks Was Here, Melisa, Sklepy Cynamonowe), two key figures of Warsaw's indie scene. It was named after an elephant who died in 2016 after years of suffering in a tiny concrete enclosure at Tokyo Zoo, that—despite appeals from more than half a million people—zoo authorities refused to move to a sanctuary for the final years of her life. In Bibi's lyrics, the tragedies of the world around us, from the story of the elephant to exploitation, discrimination against minorities to global warming, are intertwined with personal wrongs, a sense of frustration, emptiness, loneliness and burnout. In 2019, they debuted with the LP Powiedz mi, że to przetrwasz, which was met with wide critical acclaim; 2023 saw the release of their somophore album Śluza. Hanako is signed to the prominent Warsaw indie Peleton Records.